Welcome to Mike’s Season Ticket Holder (STH) Xperience!
This season is my first one as a Season Ticket holder for the Washington Capitals, and in place of doing Caps Game Recaps, I’ll be sharing my experience being a STH during the 2024-25 season. Here I’ll be sharing all of the photos that I take during pregame warmups, along with any FB/IG Reels and TikToks I create at the games.
I will also be doing this for any other games I may go to, whether it’s in Hershey for the Bears, or at other NHL venues for games.
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It’s the second game of the season as the Washington Capitals hosted the Vegas Golden Knights.
#Caps50Facts
The 2017-18 season marked the inaugural season of the Vegas Golden Knights as they made history as an expansion franchise. However, the Cinderella story came to an end in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final when the Washington Capitals clinched the series and their first ever Stanley Cup.
Jersey Tracking
Thoughts on the Game
This was a much better game than what we saw on Saturday night against New Jersey. The Capitals got the hop on the Golden Knights, and you could really see they wanted it. Especially Alex Ovechkin.
Ovechkin had two assists to give him 700 career NHL assists (which means he’ll start scoring goals now?), six hits, and a takeaway. He looked like a man on a mission.
Logan Thompson looked solid in goal. The two goals against were tough ones that we really can’t blame him for. But overall, he had a really solid game to earn his first win as a Capital.
Speaking of firsts as Capital, Jakob Chychrun would score his first goal as a Cap, and Andrew Mangiapane would record his first assist/point as a Capital when he assisted on Jakub Vrana’s first of the season.
There are a few things the Capitals still need to work on, but if they keep playing this way, they should have another big game in them against Dallas on Thursday.
Today the National Hockey League announced their Three Stars of the Week for the week of October 4th through 13th.
First Star – Dylan Guenther (RW – UT)
Guenther topped the NHL with five goals in three games (5-0—5) to help Utah Hockey Club (3‑0‑0, 6 points) post a perfect opening week, making them the second franchise in League history to win each of their first three contests (also VGK in 2017-18). Guenther ignited Utah’s inaugural game with a pair of goals – including the first in franchise history 4:56 after the opening face-off – en route to a 5-2 victory against the Chicago Blackhawks Oct. 8. He again scored twice, highlighted by his second career overtime goal (also March 22, 2024 vs. SEA), as Utah rallied from three separate deficits for a 5-4 triumph over the New York Islanders Oct. 10. Guenther became the fifth player in NHL history to record multiple goals in each of a franchise’s first two games – and the first to achieve the feat since the League’s inaugural season (1917-18). He added another goal in a 6-5 overtime win against the New York Rangers Oct. 12 as he and teammate Barrett Hayton became the fifth and sixth players in the NHL’s modern era (since 1943-44) to score in each of a franchise’s first three contests. The 21-year-old Guenther, who signed an eight-year contract extension with Utah on Sept. 20, has compiled 29-26—55 in 81 career NHL appearances since being selected with the ninth overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft.
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Second Star – Connor Hellebuyck (G – WIN)
Hellebuyck stopped 81 of the 83 shots he faced, going 3-0-0 with a 0.66 goals-against average, .976 save percentage and one shutout to lift the Jets (3-0-0, 6 points) to an unblemished start to the season. The reigning Vezina Trophy and William M. Jennings Trophy winner began 2024-25 with a 30‑save shutout – the 38th clean sheet of his career – as part of a 6-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers Oct. 9. He then yielded one goal in consecutive 2-1 overtime wins, turning aside 25 shots against the Chicago Blackhawks Oct. 11 and making 26 saves versus the Minnesota Wild Oct. 13. The 31-year-old Hellebuyck, a two-time Vezina Trophy recipient (also 2019-20), ranks second in the NHL with 278 victories in 508 career appearances since making his League debut in 2015-16 (278-173-41, 2.61 GAA, .917 SV%, 38 SO).
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Third Star – Jack Eichel (C – VGK)
Eichel led the NHL with six assists and seven points in three games (1-6—7) to power the Golden Knights (3-0-0, 6 points) to their third straight 3-0-0 start to the season (7-0-0 in 2023-24 and 3-0-0 in 2022-23). He opened the campaign with four helpers, his second career four-assist performance (also March 31, 2018 at NSH: 0-5—5), in a 8-4 triumph over the Colorado Avalanche Oct. 9. Eichel then posted 1-1—2 in a 4-3 win versus the St. Louis Blues Oct. 11 before assisting on Tomas Hertl’s tiebreaking goal in the third period of a 3-1 victory against the Anaheim Ducks Oct. 13. The 27-year-old Eichel has produced nearly a point per game since being selected with the second overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, totaling 212-309—521 in 542 career NHL contests.
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*All Graphics courtesy of the NHL, Utah Hockey Club, Winnipeg Jets, and Vegas Golden Knights.
*Player bios written by NHL PR Staff.
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Key Losses
Darcy Kuemper (G), Beck Malenstyn (F), Nick Jensen (D), Max Pacioretty (F), Nicolas Aube-Kubel (F), TJ Oshie (F – LTIR), Nicklas Backstrom (F – LTIR)
Key Additions
Pierre-Luc Dubois (F), Andrew Mangiapane (F), Logan Thompson (G), Jakob Chychrun (D), Matt Roy (D), Brandon Duhaime (F), Taylor Raddysh (F)
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2024-25 Preview
Going into the 2024-25 season, the Washington Capitals come in as a different team. With changes done at all three positions, the Capitals brass is hoping that these changes can push the team into the playoffs for a deep run. Also, the brass hope that it will take pressure off of star forward and captain Alex Ovechkin as he continues his pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s goal record, which sees Ovechkin sit 42 goals from breaking the record.
Forwards
Starting on offense, the Capitals would move on from forwards Beck Malenstyn (trade with Buffalo), Nicolas Aube-Kubel (signed with Buffalo), and Max Pacioretty (signed with Toronto), and enter the season with both TJ Oshie and Nicklas Backstrom on long term injured reserve (LTIR). Coming to DC would be forwards Pierre-Luc Dubois (trade with Los Angeles), Andrew Mangiapane (trade with Calgary), Brandon Duhaime (free agent signing), and Taylor Raddysh (free agent signing).
When looking at these new additions it’s rather simple to see where these four will fit into the lineup. Both Duhaime and Raddysh will comprise the new fourth line with Nic Dowd at center. As for Dubois and Mangiapane, that’s where things can become interchangeable. Mangiapane, who I’ve always liked from his time with the Calgary Flames, is a suitable replacement to Oshie and will be able to fill that right wing spot very well throughout the lineup.
Now for Dubois, who Elliotte Friedman had been reporting as part of a trade with the Los Angeles Kings for goalie Darcy Kuemper since January, he is an interesting factor. Dubois has all of the talent in the world, but I’m not one hundred percent sure with him. He’s projected to be the number one center, but I can see him be on the second line too. We saw the magic head coach Spencer Carbery did with Anthony Mantha last season. Will Carbery be able to do it again this season with Dubois?
Defense
On defense the Capitals shipped Nick Jensen to the Ottawa Senators for Jakob Chychrun, and then signed Mat Roy via free agency from Los Angeles. Roy is definitely a top four pairing shut down defenseman, and will help with the penalty kill. For Chychrun, he becomes the second player the Capitals picked up that only lasted a season with their new team. Questions will surround Chychrun like they do with Dubois, but we shall see how he fits into the mix.
One thing I will say though is that it will be interesting to see how Alexander Alexeyev and Ethan Bear will fit into things. Alexeyev really showed promise during the later part of the season when injuries hit the Capitals defensive core. For Bear, he is looking to re-establish himself after having a really difficult 2023-24 season that saw him miss the beginning of the season due to shoulder surgery, then after 24 games played, he would enter the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program to help him with depression and anxiety. I’m really pulling for Bear. I want this season to be a great one for him.
Goaltending
Moving between the pipes, Charlie Lindgren solidified himself as the number one goalie for the Capitals, and with Kuemper being traded to Los Angeles for Dubois, the brass had a decision to make. Do they let Hunter Shepard and Clay Stevenson battle it out to be Lindgren’s backup, or do they go outside the organization? They chose to go outside the organization and picked up Logan Thompson from the Vegas Golden Knights.
Thompson, who won the Stanley Cup with Vegas in 2023, comes to the Capitals already familiar with the organization having previously played for the South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL in the Capitals farm system. Thompson also gives the Capitals a credible 1B option to split time with Lindgren so neither goalie gets overworked. I personally view this as a win0win scenario for the Capitals, and with both goalies entering the final season, the competition between the two of them will be fun to watch.
Projected Lineup
Forwards
8 – Alex Ovechkin
80 – Pierre-Luc Dubois
43 – Tom Wilson
29 – Hendrix Lapierre
17 – Dylan Strome
88 – Andrew Mangiapane
15 – Sonny Milano
24 – Connor McMichael
21 – Aliaksei Protas
22 – Brandon Duhaime
26 – Nic Dowd
16 – Taylor Raddysh
Defense
6 – Jakob Chychrun
74 – John Carlson
38 – Rasmus Sandin
3 – Matt Roy
42 – Martin Fehervary
57 – Trevor van Riemsdyk
Goalies
79 – Charlie Lindgren
48 – Logan Thompson
Additional Players
63 – Ivan Miroshnichenko (LW)
27 – Alexander Alexeyev (D)
LTIR
19 – Nicklas Backstrom (C – Hip)
77 – TJ Oshie (RW – Back)
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On Thursday, October 10th, 2024, the Washington Capitals kicked off their 50th Anniversary with Caps 50 Fest.
Caps 50 Fest featured the 2024-25 Capitals team, along with 70+ alumni, special panels hosted by Joe Beninati, and a concert by Third Eye Blind. We would also be treated to a special appearance by the Stanley Cup as well.
Overall it was good event. Third Eye Blind put on a spectacular show, and the panels were fun and insightful. The only downside was the lack of interaction I got to have with the Alumni, especially since they were the ones I was looking forward to meeting the most. I got to meet Olaf Kolzig very briefly before he did an interview, and I got my picture with Aaron Volpatti (who is a really cool dude). I really wish the alumni were more accessible than they were. (Note: I had a General Admission Floor ticket. I understand that the alumni were more accessible to the VIPs, but for General Admission ticket holders I felt was a bit more restrictive.)
Caps 50 Fest Slideshow:
*I do plan on updating the photos when I have more time to go through them this afternoon. I just wanted to get this out this morning. – Mike
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Record: 27-50-5 59pts; 7th place in Pacific Division
Playoffs: Did Not Qualify
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Key Losses
F Jakob Silfverberg, F Max Jones, D Gustav Lindstrom
Key Additions
F Robby Fabbri, F Jansen Harkins, D Brian Dumoulin
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Overview
It’s a rebrand in Anaheim with the Mighty Ducks logo back with some minor changes and the long awaited colour change to orange, which should make things look a little brighter. The Ducks have not been in the postseason since the 2017-18 season and with the young line-up, the hope is that Anaheim can exit the rebuild soon.
Anaheim entered the start of free agency with cap space north of $20 million, only to come away with none of the big names signing for a team that badly needed veteran prescence. Anaheim has a lot of great young talent, but it’s not a great sign when the rebuild has taken a lot longer than it should.
Offense
Anaheim has been in last place in the last five consecutive seasons when it comes to scoring. Teams would be foaming at the mouth due to the amount of young talent they contain. F Leo Carlsson showed a lot of skill last season, scoring 29 points in his 55 game rookie campaign. LW Cutter Gauthier, acquired from Philadelphia, very well may join Carlsson’s line, which could make for a dangerous and exciting line.
Trevor Zegras does need to return to a form as last season he was only available for 31 games due to injuries while learning two-way hockey. Frank Vatrano does return after topping the Ducks scoring leaders with a 60 point campaign in 2023-24 and Troy Terry looks to have his fourth straight 20-goal season.
Defense
Anaheim had a slight improvement with their blue liners but there is still work to be done. The new name on defence is Brian Dumoulin, and while he is a solid D man, he does not bring that much of a change. Cam Fowler and newly named captain Radko Gudas will lead the way with Pavel Mintyukov, Olen Zelleweger, and Jackson LaCombe looking to improve on their young careers/
Goaltending
The job is John Gibson’s to lose but Lukas Dostal is looking to be the top goalie for the Ducks. Gibson does need to have a better season or he could be back on the trade block, if a team is willing to add on his $6.4 million cap hit that is set to expire upon the conclusion of the 2026-27 season
Special Teams
Anaheim badly needs to improve on both these metrics. They were 25th on the power play, scoring 42 PPG, and 31st on the pentaly kill, allowing 91 goals. With hopefully an improved special teams unit, both of these metrics can be back in the top half of the league.
Overall
Anaheim is still a young-ish squad and with even more improvements, Anaheim may still miss the postseason but the season will be better than last.
Prediction
6th place in Pacific Division
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Record: 30-36-16 76 pts; 8th place in Atlantic Division
Playoffs: Did Not Qualify
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Key Losses
D Johnathan Kovacevic, LW Tanner Pearson, RW Jesse Ylonen, C Colin White
Key Additions
F Alex Barre-Boulet
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Overview
Montréal missed the postseason for the thrid consecutive season as the Habs continue their rebuild. Kirby Dach going down in the second game of the season last year hurt the team in the continuing rebuild process. Dach does return, but will he be able to not only be healthy but find the game he had in the 2022-23 season.
C Michael Hage was drafted with the 23rd overall pick in this summer’s draft, but do not expect him to be called up to the roster, as he will be with the University of Michigan, after the Habs acquired Ivan Demidov with the fifth overall pick.
Fans have been patient with the rebuild in Montréal, but any hope for a return to the postseason may have to be put on hold for at least one more season.
Offense
Montréal will once again need to lean heavy on the top line of Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Juraj Slafkovsky, as the trio scored 81 goals. The trio were the only ones to score more than 20 goals for a team that finished 26th in offense. Head Coach Martin St. Louis will have to lean on the offense production from the rest of team if they expect to improve.
Defense
Mike Matheson had a fantastic season with 62 points which was ninth among all blue liners last season in the league. The team also finished fourth for goals and can improve on that with the bevy of talent that has been acquired in the past few drafts of the rebuild. The addition of Lane Hutson will add nice power to the talents of not only Matheson and David Savard, but Kaden Guhle as well.
Goaltending
The three man crew in net will not apply this season as Jake Allen was traded to New Jersey at the trade deadline last spring. Sam Montembeault will be the top man as he enters the first year of the three year contract he signed as Cayden Primeau becomes the back-up. However, with Primeau in a contract year, he could challenge Montembeault for top minutes.
Special Teams
The Power Play unit finished 27th while the Penalty Kill finished 24th, which did not do Montréal any favours. There is a new coach in charge of the special teams as Alex Burrows moved on to take a player developmental consultant role. The trio of Suzuki, Caufield, and Slafkovsky accounted for 27 of the 44 PP goals scored, while Matheson accounted for five additional goals. Montréal accounted for the seventh most penalty mintues, which added additional pressure on the penalty kill unit.
Overall
Montréal is still at least another or two from a return to the postseason and unless there is a magical season akin to the 2021 Stanley Cup postseason run, it could be another long season for Montréal fans.
Prediction
6th in Atlantic Division
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Key Losses
Brian Doumalin, Chris Driedger, Tomas Tatar, Dave Hakstol (Coach)
Key Additions
Chandler Stephenson, Brandon Montour, Dan Bylsma (Head Coach)
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2024-25 Preview
Last year was a tough one for the Seattle Kraken after making a surprise run to the Stanley Cup playoffs and knocking out the then reigning champions in the Colorado Avalanche the year before. Injuries and inconsistent play were the culprits. Winger Andre Bruakovsky was mostly unavailable last year due to his struggles to stay healthy in recent years. If he’s healthy, he can help out more pucks in the back of the net. Matty Beniers who won the Calder trophy the year before had himself a sophomore slump before he started to turn things back on towards the end of the season. The Kraken need him to be a playmaker and facilitator of the offense as the number one center. Picking up Chandler Stephenson in free agency should help as both are Stanley Cup champions with great experience and can add to both sides of the game offensively and defensively. Goalie Phillipp Grubauer needs to show why he was once a number one and was a big help in leading the Washington Capitals to a Stanley Cup championship back in 2018. If he can remain healthy and play consistent, he and Joey Daccord can be a formidable goaltending tandem.
It’ll be interesting to see how new head coach Dan Bylsma implements his most recent success as the now former Coachella Valley Thunderbirds. With that and having a Stanley Cup championship on his resume from when he was the Pittsburgh Penguins should be of help and provide good experience for the team to learn and draw from. I see the Kraken as a bubble playoff team that could maybe surprise us all and make it in.
New Additions
The big, new, shiny toys in town are Chandler Stephenson and Brandon Montour. Both players have each won a Stanley Cup with their former teams in the last two years. Stephenson is a good two way center that plays a full 200 foot game that has evolved into a solid offensive contributor as well. Montour has become a steady and reliable member on the blue line that can play a solid shutdown game. Technically he’s not new but, Shayne Wright is getting his chance to play with the Kraken full time this season. Currently slotted to be the third line center, Wright does have potential to be much more as he was a former high draft back (4th overall back in 2022). He had success under new coach Dan Bylsma in the minors, let’s see if he can replicate that and improve even more.
Returning Players
Wherever Matty Beniers goes, the Kraken will go. He definitely had his struggles in his second season and Seattle has high hopes it was just a sophomore slump and the best is yet to come. He did seem to find his game in the second half of the season so, there’s definitely hope there he can return to being the top center they need him to be. Forwards Jared McCann, Oliver Bjorkstrand, and Jordan Eberle are some of the top producers on the team. Andre Burakovsky and the third line are a bit of a wild card. Burakovsky needs to stay healthy and when he is, produce and play consistently. This has followed him back to his days with the Washington Capitals. Jaden Schwartz needs to get back to the numbers he put up with the Blues, injuries and consistency has plagued him too recently. Shayne Wright is getting his chance to develop and play at the next level. He’ll get better with more experience. The fourth line is dependable and solid group of offense and defense headlined by Yanni Gourde and Brandon Tanev. Tye Kartye became a nice fit last year and hopefully he will continue to be a reliable member of this trio.
Projected Lines
(LW Jared McCann- (C) Marty Beniere- (RW) Oliver Bjorkstrand
(LW( Andre Burakovsky- (C) Chandler Stephenson- (RW) Jordan Eberle
Ladies and Gentlemen welcome to The Morphinominal Hockey Show for some fun hockey conversations with actors from the Power Rangers and TMNT franchises, hosted by Michael Lindenbaum.
Audio:
YouTube:
Michael is joined by actor Tohoru Masamune, Shredder in “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (2014), as they preview the Washington Capitals and Edmonton Oilers, discuss the Devils/Sabres Global Series opener, and a fun segment called The Power Ranger Power Play.
Opening Music (Audio Version Only): “Modern Guns” by Eyeshine With Written Permission
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Record: 38-39-5 81pts (7th in Metropolitan Division)
Playoffs: Did Not Qualify
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Key Losses
Lindsey Ruff (Coach/Fired), John Marino, Kevin Bahl, Alexander Holtz, Brendan Smith, Tomas Nosek, Akira Schmid
Key Additions
Jacob Markstrom, Brett Pesce, Brendan Dillon, Stefan Noesen, Tomas Tatar, Paul Cotter, Sheldon Keefe (Head Coach)
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2024-25 Preview
After missing the playoffs last year to injuries, inconsistent plays, and a lack of a capable starting goaltending tandem…the New Jersey Devils looks to make it back to the Stanley Cup playoffs with hopes of being a championship contender as they were 2022-23 season. GM Tom Fitzgerald sure was busy and active this offseason correcting a lot of the issues that plagued the Devils last season. Let’s take a quick look back at the off-season moves and what the current roster entails.
Off-season Moves
The biggest moved that kicked off the busy offseason (actually during the Stanley Cup playoffs) was acquiring goalie Jacob Markstrom from the Calgary Flames. It’s no secret this move was going to happen as the Devils tried acquiring him at the trade deadline but couldn’t get the deal past the finish line until after the regular season. Markstrom will definitely be the number one guy in between the pipes with Jake Allen as his serviceable and capable backup.
On day one of free agency, the Devils went out and signed Brett Pesce away from the Carolina Hurricanes as well as Brendan Dillon of the Winnipeg Jets. These moves help on the backend as Pesce is an upgrade on Marino. While Dillon brings back that rugged and physical defenseman they lacked once Ryan Graves departed for the Pittsburgh Penguins. New Jersey also added familiar faces in Stefan Noesen and Tomas Tatar in free agency, while the Devils also acquired in a trade from the Vegas Golden Knights Paul Cotter for the middle and bottom six forwards group. They should add an edge, scoring depth, and tough to play against mentality for their line(s).
Returning Players
The Devils return with a solid and highly skilled core group of offensive players that features Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, Dougie Hamilton, & Dawson Mercer. Hamilton was sorely missed as he was injured most of the year with a torn pectoral muscle. Him coming back healthy will be huge as he plays critical minutes on the top pair at 5on5, power play, & on the penalty kill. You could tell New Jersey’s PowerPlay took a dip without him firing pucks from the blue line. Health overall was a problem besides just Hamilton. Jack Hughes definitely missed some chunks of games as well. When healthy, these young skilled Devils can stack up against the NHL’s elite teams.
I look forward to continue to see growth in Jesper Brett’s game as he’s improved each year since he’s been in the league. He was definitely the MVP of the Devils last year for sure leading the team in scoring. As for the rest of the group, I’d like to see more from the following…Timo Meier & Ondrej Palat. Meier in particular needs to step up his game and produce like how he did in San Jose being a 40 goal scorer considering he’s being paid a kings ransom to score goals. More goals from Meier, the better for him and everyone. While I do value Ondrej Palat’s leadership and experience of winning when he was in Tampa, I’d like to see him chip in a little bit more offensively. The bottom six looks good
Projected Lines
Forwards
(LW) Tomas Tatar- (C) Nico Hischier-Jesper Bratt (RW)
(LW) Timo Meier- (C) Jack Hughes- Dawson Mercer (RW)
(LW) Ondrej Palat- (C) Erik Haula- Nolan Foote (RW)
(LW) Paul Cotter- (C) Curtis Lazar- Nathan Bastian (RW)
*Extras: Kurtis McDermaid, Max Willman
Defenseman
(D) Jonas Siegenthaler- (D) Dougie Hamilton
(D) Brendan Dillon – (D) Brett Pesce
(D) Jonathan Kovacevic- (D) Simon Nemec
*Extra: Nick DeSimone
Injured Reserve: Luke Hughes
Goalies
Jacob Markstrom
Jake Allen
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TXHT and X75 Productions is excited to announce it’s first ever docu-series, “So Close: The Story of the 1997-98 Washington Capitals”.
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“So Close: The Story of the Washington Capitals” is a 14 chapter docu-series that chronicles the Washington Capitals from April 1997 through June 1998. It will cover everything from the firings of general manager David Poile and coach Jim Schoenfeld to the hirings of general manger George McPhee and coach Ron Wilson. Plus, we look at the extensive contract negotiations of key players, incidents that took place during the season, honors and milestones that were achieved, and the thrilling run to the 1998 Stanley Cup Final. This is a very thorough look at the 1997-98 Washington Capitals
“So Close” is an extensive labor of love project that began development in 2012. In the beginning the vision for “So Close” was to be a 12 episode documentary series for television, but after changes to Monumental Sports, talks ceased and the project was shelved for over a decade.
Then in 2023, we dusted the project off, and began recollecting all of our research for the project. TXHT is very grateful for the Montgomery County Public Library and for all of their resources to help us in our research. The MCPL’s resources allowed us to look up Washington Post articles from both 1997 and 1998, and is the main source for a lot of the content that you’ll see in the docu-series.
Due to TXHT’s inability to conduct interviews with the players, coaches, and management, all of the quotes that you will see are directly from the research that was conducted. At the end of every chapter will be a Resources section with all articles cited that the quotes were pulled from.
TXHT is also thankful to both Sports Illustrated and The Hockey News for having archives that we could use for additional research.
“So Close: The Story of the 1997-98 Washington Capitals” debuts on Monday, October 7th, with new chapters being released every other week.
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